Rome – Russian Maria Sharapova ground down Carla Suarez Navarro 4-6 7-5 6-1 to win the Italian Open final on Sunday, the 35th WTA Tour title of her career.
Third seed Sharapova looked slugging against her Spanish opponent in the first set and Suarez Navarro fought back from 1-3 and 3-5 down in the second to level at 5-5.
But Sharapova reeled off the next two games and tore through the decider against the tiring 10th seed, sealing victory in more than two-and-a-half hours with her 39th winner.
Sharapova will climb to No 2 in the world rankings next week and will be seeded second in the French Open starting next Sunday.
Top seed Novak Djokovic plays Roger Federer in the men’s final later on Sunday. – Reuters